


Hello, Goodbye// A Kakanaru Story

by Nellz



Category: Naruto
Genre: Animal Instincts, Animal Traits, Fluff and Angst, Foxes, M/M, Mild Language, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Sharing Clothes, Sharing a Bed, Time Travel Fix-It, Wolf Instincts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:31:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25430155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nellz/pseuds/Nellz
Summary: BxB! MxB! Don't like it, don't read! Time travel!xWaking up in his twelve-year-old body with extra appendages (Naruto was going to kill Kurama for that) and trying to not act like he was losing his mind was one of the most tiring and complicates things Naruto has ever done. Now, if only Sakura would stop shouting at him and Sasuke would stop being such a duckbutt. And if Kakashi could stop staring at him, that would be great too.xThe first five chapters were written by @theygone on Wattpad. After that, they are my own.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Itachi & Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 122
Kudos: 704





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is was what TheyGone originally had, I only did minor changes to grammar and spelling errors.
> 
> This was actually also my first ever completed Naruto fanfiction done on Wattpad. I wanted to post it here so more people could see it. 
> 
> If you like it, please leave a comment or a kudo, it'll mean the world to me!

_"It's been said, 'time heals all wounds.' I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone." --Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy_

**Chapter One:**

Naruto heaves a breath, it's slow, painful, and raspy around the edges. The black spots dancing around in his vision aren't all that better, but the familiar feeling of icy water under his hands and knees makes him suck in another puff of air. He shudders and slowly, he tries to raise himself up into a stand- he places his hand onto one of his knees and pushes himself up, he tumbles and falls back down into the water. A groan leaves his lips, his fingers curl into fists and then he tries again. His body screams in silent agony, muscles torn apart and blood flowing out thoroughly from vicious wounds and when he wavers, he bites down into his busted lip, and then he falls back into the water. He feels numb. Tired. Utterly defeated and useless.

Naruto's lips quiver, he shuts his blue eyes closed and pounds his fist, hard against the water and then the ground underneath it. It does nothing. It doesn't bring Neji back. It doesn't save Obito. It doesn't stop Madara or that crazy wrench Kaguya from killing thousands of allied shinobi. It doesn't bring back Kurama who should be across Naruto, should be behind those black bars and that damn seal and should be snarking down at him - it does absolutely nothing but makes Naruto hate himself even more.

He cries, and wishes, wishes for anything really - he lays there for what feels like endless hours until the numbness starts to slowly seep out of his system, and when he sniffles back another cry he pounds his fist against the water and the ground once more. "Damn it!" He curses, voice hoarse. The ripples flow away from him and Naruto follows them with half-lidded eyes. "Gomen" He quietly voices to the empty darkness around him. "Kurama... Gomen", He chokes back another sob and instead curls into himself. "I wish" He whispers, too quietly and too softly, "I wish I could have protected you all better," he smiles, bitter and small.

"Damn it," he breathes and grinds his teeth together, the darkness envelopes him painfully slow and then it swallows him whole, yanks his last breath away and leaves him hanging cold.

\----

Slowly and reluctantly, Naruto uncovers his face. He blinks, closes his eyes, and blinks again. Streaks of sunlight penetrate the window and cast stripes of golden light across his face and across his tiny bedroom. He sits up, drags his feet off the bed, and rubs his knuckles onto his eyes. The sound of his clock ringing at his bedside table is all but white noise in the back of his mind - he maneuvers his body mechanically, almost as if on autopilot as if all these actions are done by someone else entirely. He frowns deeply and watches his feet dangle off the side of the bed. Hadn't something... something important just happened? He sits for a while and mulls over his thoughts. A yawn escapes his mouth and Naruto flutters his eyes closed, the stiffness of his muscles begging him to return to bed.

The flash of red hair, long and bright, flowing in the wind plays behind his eyelids and Naruto falls forward onto the floor beneath him and snaps his eyes wide open. His hands clutch at his chest, directly above his heart and he heaves, stutters to inhale breath, and whimpers. Sakura's bubbly pink hair and her watery smile greet him, she reaches out a hand, the bruises covering her body are many but she envelopes him in a hug. The children around him 'ooo' and 'ahh' and when Naruto looks further along he can see the Villagers and their proud smiles.

He remembers orange hair, pale skin, and black rods, Hinata's cheeks covered in pink dust, Lee in the hospital after the Chunin exams, Sasuke - Naruto breathes and swallows the incoming air, his fingers curl into the material of his pajama top and he forces his eyes to close. Kakashi pat's his head, Iruka beckons him towards the ramen stand, Jiraya laughs at him broadly and Tsunade - Naruto splutters - Tsunade kisses him on the forehead. And when Shikamaru places his hand onto his shoulder and squeezes Naruto lets out a pained yell. It hurts. It really hurts. Gaara stares at him, green-colored eyes warm and bright, he smiles and his mouth moves, there are words forming across those pale lips but Naruto can't hear them and yet, he feels a certain warmth to those unheard words.

The warmth disappears as soon as it appears because he's digging Gaara's mutated body from under the rubble, Sakura's quietly crying behind him and the pain in his chest deepens. Kurama's fur feels soft underneath his fingertips, Kiba swings an arm around his shoulders and Akamaru barks at the both of them happily, Neji pushes him forward with a slap to his back and Ino pulls him forward by the front of his jumpsuit, Choji watches them argue with a small smile. Tenten and Shino walk him back home in comfortable silence.

Naruto stands, quick and swift, and wobbly, he ushers himself to the bathroom and empties the contents of his stomach into the toilet. The tears rolling down his cheeks are ignored as he forces his memories away and focuses on steadying his heart and controlling his breathing - he breathes in, slowly and waveringly, and then he breathes out. It hurts. It hurts a lot. His hands press further into the seat of the toilet, a way to steady himself as he counts from one to twenty out loud. Once he stops, he slumps sideways against the cold tiled walls of the bathroom and lets the numbness consume him. Naruto doesn't know for how long he sits there for, but when he returns back to his bedroom streaks of orange and purple are cast onto his bed and his room and the sun is setting. Oddly enough, his clock is still ringing. He numbly shuts it off. It feels weird to even be back in his apartment, let alone to even be alive. He shuffles forward, bare feet guiding him towards the cracked body length mirror stuffed in the corner of the room opposite his bed and wardrobe.

He stops in front of it and stands stiff. He's twelve again. At least, he thinks he is. He's short, and scrawny and mainly battered from the bruises gliding across his skin and the plaster placed over his nose but it's him. Definitely. Even the many cracks in the old mirror can't hide that away from him. He blinks, moving closer to the cracked mirror. Naruto's mouth falls open, hands flying to his blonde hair. He has ears. Extra ears. Long, pointy ears the same shade of yellow as his hair, the tips a bright red, maybe even a dark burnt orange. They look like fox ears. They're terribly soft. Something flicks behind him. A tail. A fucking tail. Panic returns to Naruto's system. His nose scrunches up and the corners of his blue eyes tear up - he can't, he can't cry. He just can't. He scrubs his tears away with his hands, nails digging into the skin across his cheeks, small droplets of blood flowing across soft skin, breath heaving, heart hammering-

_**"Naruto,"**_ Kurama's voice pierces his mind. _**"Calm yourself."**_

Naruto flinches, hands falling down to his sides, blue eyes wide and wet. "Kurama," He says, voice barely above a whisper. He screws his eyes shut tight and enters their shared mindscape.

There's cold water at his ankles, dim lighting around him but that's nothing new, and the cage is right opposite him, the original seal covering the black bars. Naruto feels his stomach drop. Was...Has Kurama been locked in again?

Treading carefully across the ankle-length water, Naruto holds his breath, blue eyes shifting around him every few seconds as if expecting some other ninja to just drop in-

_**"Kit,"**_ Kurama calls, voice gruff. He sounds tired, _weak_. Naruto stops at the black bars, he shudders as he skims his fingers against them. He can't see Kurama behind them, the beast is shrouded in the shadows, lost somewhere in there. Naruto frowns deeply.

"Kurama?" Naruto softly calls into the darkness.

_**"I’m sorry,"**_ Kurama's voice is low, too soft, too different from what Naruto's usually used to.

Swallowing down the sudden lump in the back of his throat, Naruto manages to open his mouth. "W-why are you apologizing?" He stutters quietly. It's silent for an odd moment. Naruto's fox ears twitch.

_**"I've forcibly brought you back here."** _

"Oh."

Naruto bites down on his bottom lip, fingers curling tightly around the black bars of Kurama's old cage. Heaving out a breath, chest tightening, eyes watering, "I don't want to see them die again" He confesses. He was back in the past. He was twelve again. He was going to have to re-live everything.

Kurama hums. _**"Then don't let them die."**_

"I'll get you out," Naruto softly promises after a minute of quiet. He then sniffles, cheeks turning pink. "But hey, what the hell is it with the ears and tail?!"

Kurama's only answer is a deep chuckle that sends shivers down Naruto's back.

Naruto leaves the mindscape and stalks back to his bed. He crashes into it with exhaustion and let's sleep whisk him away. He notices his Hitai-ate on the bedside table through bleary eyes and then crashes. It's painful to ignore everything, but it's even more painful to acknowledge it.

He'll deal with everything tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, Lovelies! Like I've said (or I think I've already said this), these first five chapters aren't mine. These are actually the original authors with some minor spelling and grammar tweaks.
> 
> I did get complete acceptance from the original author before starting this story so please don't say I'm plagiarizing (not that someone has said that already).

_ "Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." --Friedrich Nietzsche _

**Chapter Two:**

An ominous and loud rattling startles Naruto out of one of his many nightmares and he sits up with a start. His cheeks are wet and his body is bathed in a cold sweat. The sheets are twisted around his limbs, probably because he was thrashing around his limbs, and his alarm clock is blaring. It rattles against his bedside table tethering a little too close to the edge before it tumbles down to the floor in haste. Naruto stares at it with wide eyes, his breathing uneven and heartbeat hammering behind his ribcage.

His gaze shifts from his alarm clock down to his hands that are numbly sat in his lap and he stares at them oddly as if they are foreign to him. His alarm blares from the floor, the vibrations of the clock carrying it away in minuscule inches. He ignores it momentarily, his nightmares were still clinging to the back of his mind. Naruto falls back onto his bed with a deep sigh and throws an arm across his eyes. The sun peeks through his curtains lighting a path of dust particles and the morning murmurs from outside reminded Naruto of the position he's currently in. He was twelve and somehow had to stop a war from raging on. He releases another sigh, this time from his nose, and slowly shifts himself into a sitting position, his feet dangling off the edge of his bed. His alarm clock is just under his feet still ringing and he frowns before he stomps one of his bare feet onto it. It immediately quiets down and the small apartment laps into utter silence.

His heart aches painfully. He suddenly misses his team.  _ His  _ team. He raises his hands and places them over his ears, a coping mechanism that usually blocks out anything but the thrum of his heartbeat. He concentrates on that as the image of Sakura laying down on the ground, beaten and bruised, bloodied and pinned to the earth below her with kunais, stares at him with lifeless eyes. Naruto's breath wavers between trembling lips and he snaps his eyes shut. "Stop" He mutters.  _ "Stop _ ", the image flips to that of Sakura's proud smile, the Hitai-ate flashing from the sun's glare as she points to it proudly. Sakura had been so pretty, so beautiful, she was one of his best friends. His  _ closest _ friend. Naruto blearily recalls the time Sakura had all but invaded his personal space and had told him she understood, she was okay, with  _ what _ Naruto was. With  _ who _ he was. He remembers Sasuke, sharp and snarky at times, clever and so, so,  _ so far away _ . He smirked at Naruto, Onyx eyes filled with mirth,  _ "What's wrong, scaredy-cat?" _ Kakashi-Sensei was lazy, sure, but he was a steady hand on his shoulder, guiding him and making sure he didn't cluelessly jump into things headfirst. Kakashi was a small, warm smile on the coldest of days. He really, really, missed them.

Sniffling loudly and ignoring the anxiety tearing through his veins, Naruto scrubs his hands over his face and furiously wipes away the tears that fall down his cheeks until they turn a dull red. He stumbles to his feet, forces himself to take a shower, changes into his clothes, stares at his orange jacket for five silent minutes, and then pulls it over his shoulders and zips it too slowly as if he doesn't want to at all. He attaches his gear to his thigh and his waist and then grabs his Hitai-ate. He rubs a thumb over the metal and his blue eyes water again.  _ God _ , he missed Iruka as well. That man was like an older brother to him. Bringing the headband up to his face, Naruto presses his nose into the familiar dark band. He inhales the familiar scent of Iruka and quivers quietly.

**_"Kit"_** Kurama calls ever so softly, so foreignly that it snaps Naruto out of his soon to be cry fest.

Shaking his head to get rid of his thoughts, Naruto ties the Hitai-ate around his forehead. He runs the tips of his fingers against the familiar cold metal and breathes out a long puff of uneven air.

Walking towards the cracked mirror in the corner of his room, Naruto stares at the fox ears on top of his blonde hair and the foxtail that swishes behind him. Biting the inside of his cheeks, Naruto concentrates on changing his appearance and watches as the tail and the ears disappear under his henge. He looks  _ normal  _ now. No fox ears or foxtail. Just his  _ usual _ self. He doesn't know for how long it will last, but hopefully, it will last for today. Until Naruto can think of something better. Perhaps he could even tie the henge onto an object. Like a necklace or a bracelet.

Shifting his gaze to his clock on the wooden floor, Naruto rolls his eyes at the time. He's going to be late. He grabs Gama-chan, shoves his feet into his sandals, and runs to the academy by jumping from one rooftop to another.

\----

When he arrives at the Academy, his chest tightens, and nostalgia courses through his body. He fights back tears in the corners of his blue eyes, forces down his feelings, the sick feeling in the bottom of his stomach, and the airy feeling in his head. It's  _ hard _ . But he manages. His hands shake by his thighs and he forces them into the pockets of his orange pants. Walking into his old class, Naruto keeps his head down, blue eyes trained on his feet as he walks to the back of the class and takes a seat beside someone he doesn't quite remember. It must be one of the classmates who hadn't made it.

Ino and Sakura are arguing beside Sasuke. Shikamaru is half asleep, eyes half-open. Hinata is fiddling with her fingers beside Kiba. Naruto tears his eyes away before he starts outright crying. He presses his palms against his eyes and inhales a sharp intake of breath. When he pulls his hands away, he forces himself to grin brightly. It's  _ so _ fake. It  _ feels _ fake. But he has to pretend he's the Naruto that everyone knows. Not...Not the  _ thing _ he's become.

Iruka enters the class and Naruto's grin wavers until it falls into a thin line. Naruto can't even pretend to grin. That would be lying-

_ Lying to his precious people. _

His chest feels tight again, breath hitching in his throat, he blinks rapidly to rid himself of the tears threatening to fall. Iruka catches his gaze across the classroom and smiles,  _ so warmly, so kindly _ and all Naruto can do is stare at him brokenly. God. He hates himself. Tearing his gaze away, Naruto stares numbly at his hands on the desk. They look so foreign to him. He clenches his hands into tight fists until his nails are digging small crescent marks into his skin and drawing blood. As soon as the wounds open they close. His healing factor quick to kick in. He scowls.

Iruka calls names, team one, team two, team three, and onwards. And then he calls his. "Team Seven, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha and... Sakura Haruno."

Sakura jumps up and down, fist-bumping the air and grinning smugly down at Ino who scowls deeply, irritation clear on her pale face. Sasuke simply  _ "Hn"s _ and that's the end of it.

Jounin Senseis come and go. Teams leave. Time passes. Iruka leaves. And then, Team Seven is the last group left in the classroom.

Naruto has his face nuzzled deep in the crooks of his elbows on the table, blue eyes staring blankly out of the windows beside him; still in the back of the class. Sakura is fawning over Sasuke at the front and the Uchiha is still ignoring her. Sasuke mutters something lowly and Sakura's cheery disposition drops. Naruto's ears twitch.

"Do you have to be so mean about it?" Naruto grumbles voice muffled. 

Sasuke turns, clearly hearing him. Onyx eyes, dark hair, pale skin, scowl. "What was that, dead last?"

"What was that, dead last?" Naruto mimics, making his voice go higher than it should.

"Naruto-"

"No," Naruto cuts Sakura off before she can start berating him. The girls' eyes widen. Pale skin, soft pink hair, light green eyes, deep frown.

Naruto curls his hands into fists again, anger simmering just below his skin. He huffs and shoves his face back into the crooks of his elbows. He doesn't even know why he's feeling so  _ angry _ , he just  _ is _ .

The door to the classroom opens, Kakashi's silver head peaks in, one eye blinking owlishly as he takes his Genin team in. "Hmm" He hums behind his Icha Icha Paradise book, the sound low. It makes the hairs on the back of Naruto's neck stand to attention. His nails pierce his skin on the inside of his palms again, blue eyes wide and mouth dry. He had forgotten that the first time around he had pranked the silver-haired man. This time, he obviously hadn't. "My first impression of you...is that you're boring. Meet me on the roof." He then vanishes in a puff of smoke.

Sakura growls loudly and clenches her pale fist tightly. "Ugh...!"

\----

"My name is Kakashi. Things I like and things I hate...I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future...never really thought about it. As for my hobbies...I have lots of hobbies." He smiles underneath his mask in a way that makes Naruto avert his eyes.

Sakura is practically seething beside him.

"Your turn," Kakashi says, nodding towards Naruto.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki," He says, voice quiet. He can't even bring himself to yell it out. He feels  _ so _ tired. And  _ so _ drained. And it's only been less than two days. "Things I like and things I hate...I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future...well, everyone knows that. As for my hobbies...I have lots of hobbies." His lips twitch up into a small smile when he sees the way Kakashi tilts his head ever so slightly to the side. Ah. He's ticked him off.

"Alright," Kakashi drawls, not moving his gaze from Naruto. "You next pinky."

"My name is Sakura Haruno," She says proudly. Her lips then curve up into a smirk that doesn't quite match her baby-like face. "Things I like and things I hate...I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future..." She looks at Sasuke with a blush across her pale cheeks. "As for my hobbies...I have lots of hobbies."

Kakashi's visible eye twitches. "Dark and gloomy, your turn." Naruto's smile turns into a grin when Sasuke simply turns and doesn't even answer.

Sighing softly, Kakashi pushes himself off the railing and places his hands into the pockets of his dark pants. "Meet me at training ground four at oh-five-hundred tomorrow morning for your survival training. And don't eat breakfast, you might throw it up." He says, voice deadpan.

Sakura throws a hand in the air to grab his attention, but he ignores her and puffs away once more.

"Damn it!" Sakura yells, hands on her hips, pink hair blowing behind her wildly and face filled with frustration. "All I wanted to do was ask a question!"

Sasuke  _ "Hn"s  _ her and she turns back into her fawning fangirl self. Almost like a light switch had been flipped. He stands to his feet and leaves, Sakura trailing after him like a lost puppy.

Naruto stares after them with dull blue eyes. He wants to be normal -  _ monster _ \- he wants to be  _ himself. _ It is harder than he thought it would be. Way much harder. He just wishes he didn't feel like crying every time he saw one of his precious people. So close and yet so, so,  _ so _ far away.

\----

Naruto doesn't sleep that night. Every time he closes his eyes, he gets attacked by thousands of images all at once. Madara is there, fighting him, winning against him.  _ Mocking him. _ Kaguya rips out Obito's heart. That's it. That's the end. War. Blood. So much blood.  _ Monster. _ Sakura's hair turns red. It's normal. Sasuke's better, still an asshole, still an idiot, still so much  _ better  _ than him. Always was. Always will be. Death. Fire. Heat. Ten tails. Over and over and over again, until his eyelids are burning with those images imprinted into them.

Kakashi's death is a constant replay.

He spends the whole night staring off into the dark of his small apartment.

And if he cries, well, no one's there to see him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked this chapter, leave a Kudo and subscribe so you can be notified when I drop another chapter on your head.
> 
> That aside, I was wondering if anyone would be interested in me making an MHA villain! Deku AU? I have started planning it and started typing it, but I don't know if anyone would like that kind of thing. This story would be for this platform as of right now. If I get a lot of love from it (and after it's completed), I'll see about posting it on Wattpad as well.
> 
> I am planning to post a couple of my other completed stories from Wattpad (yes, they are from the Narutoverse, but they are both drastically different from this one and each other, I do try to have some variety in my writing) here on Ao3.
> 
> Alright, I'm going to stop talking now, but don't forget to leave a kudo if you're new and to subscribe!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third Chapter, still written by the original author with only some minor spelling and grammar issues fixed. Hope you like it!

_ "No matter how much suffering you went through, you never wanted to let go of those memories." -- Haruki Murakami _

**Chapter Three:**

Catching breakfast at Ichiraku's Naruto ignores the dark eyes that have followed him since he had left his sorry excuse for an apartment. He had left through the window, henge in place, and sights set on his favorite ramen. What he did not expect was that he was being followed by Kakashi. And rather effectively. Naruto wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't for the silver-haired man's scent. Rain and vanilla and something,  _ something musky _ . Naruto's nose twitches. Had Kakashi always smelled like Vanilla? Naruto had never realized. These fox senses were overwhelming.

Sighing quietly, Naruto slurps up the last of his Ramen, says his thanks to the old man and his daughter for the food, and sets off towards the bridge. He's obviously late. He knows that. Kakashi had said not to eat anything, but Naruto did. He idly wonders if that's somewhat pissing Kakashi off. Well, whatever. He walks through the village, ignores the usual murmur of complaints and weird comments sent his way, easily slips between people, and stops to buy some snacks for Sakura and Sasuke. They weren't  _ his _ Sakura and Sasuke. But they were still  _ his _ friends,  _ his _ precious people. And he  _ still _ cared about them. Even if they were annoying and sort of grated on his nerves. Naruto would just have to push his annoyance to the side and work his way through it and bash teamwork into Sakura's and Sasuke's skulls until they knew it like the back of their hands. He would make sure of it.

Feeling slightly better about his current predicament, Naruto stops by a vendor and purchases some fruit and some potato chips. He pays for them a lot more than he should and even flinches when the man threatens him for more. Naruto just simply pays the man and leaves, apples and potato chips in a paper brown bag. Gama-chan is a lot lighter then he should be in his pocket.

When he reaches the bridge, Sakura assaults him with her loud voice. "You're late!" She yells, pointing an accusing finger at him. Naruto's body flinches even when he tries to stop it. He pretends to not notice the way Sakura's hand drops and her leaf green eyes soften. She must have noticed.

"I was getting you guys some food," Naruto says as a matter of fact. He passes the paper bag to slightly stunned Sakura and rubs his ears. Damn. The pink-haired female sure had a large set of lungs on her. He walks past Sasuke without sparing the Uchiha a glance and sits a few paces further away from him. Always with them, but never actually there. He used to want to be the center of attention, now he just wants to be overlooked. Sakura sits down beside Sasuke and empties the paper bag. "We aren't supposed to eat, Naruto," she says, frowning. Her stomach rumbles loudly as she blushes. She rubs the back of her neck awkwardly and glances away.

"You can't exactly fight on an empty stomach," Naruto points out, shifting until his knees are pressed against his chest and his arms are wrapped around his legs. He blinks, blue eyes watching as Sasuke reaches out for an apple. "Dobe," the Uchiha mutters before he bites into a shiny, red apple. "You're welcome," Naruto huffs. Sakura hesitates for a few more seconds before she reaches for an apple herself. They sit in silence for a few minutes, Sasuke eats another apple, Sakura slowly makes her way through the potato chips and then the complaining starts.

"He's so late!" Sakura whines, stretching against the grass, hands above her head, pink hair splayed around her. Sasuke's scowl deepens and his eyebrow is twitching, fingers tapping against his thigh. Naruto shuffles forward until he's sat closer to his teammates, close enough to reach for, but away enough for him to run. He rubs his hands over his arms and sighs. "You heard about the Genin teams?" Naruto asks quietly, tilting his head back and gazing at the blue sky above him.

Sasuke shuffles into a different position and Sakura places her arms behind her head on the grass. "Hear what?" She murmurs and then yawns loudly.

"Apparently they're made up of teamwork," Naruto says. "Yanno, like if we don't work together then we won't ever become a proper ninja. I mean, have you ever seen a new team that has less than three or two members?"

There's a minor scuffle, Sakura accidentally kicks Sasuke in the shin and apologizes, Sasuke growls, insults on the tip of his tongue, he then shifts his gaze to Naruto and the words die in his throat. He watches the way Naruto tilts his head back down, blonde hair blowing lightly to the side as a breeze passes by. "Whatever," Sasuke says, returning his gaze to Sakura who's eyes widen. Was that...was that Sasuke accepting her apology in his own unique way? She grins. Maybe they  _ could _ work as a team. A very  _ dysfunctional _ but  _ working _ team nonetheless.

Naruto's nose twitches as he catches the familiar scent of rain and vanilla. Kakashi was near. He strains his ears for any noises but doesn't catch anything except for a few morning birds and the scuffle of a wild animal. Stretching, Naruto scans the nearby trees for any sight of his Sensei. He doesn't. The silver-haired man must be pretty well hidden. Was this why Kakashi was always late everywhere? He always watched them first? What a weirdo.

It takes another hour before the man in question does arrive and when he does, Sakura is all over the silver-haired man's case. She jumps to her feet, pink hair flowing behind her, fists clenched, eyebrows furrowed, "You're late!" She exclaims.

Kakashi eye-smiles, one hand in the air as a greeting the other in the pocket of his dark pants. "Maa, Sakura," He says, "a black cat crossed my path so I had to take a long way."

Naruto rolls his blue eyes and scoffs. "Liar," He calls him out, voice oddly fond. It sounds weird coming out of his mouth. He glances up and takes in Kakashi's curious look and Sakura's scandalized expression. Even Sasuke was looking at him like he had another head growing out of his shoulder.

_ Oh. _

_ That _ was why it sounded different. Normally Sakura and he timed the word together, a double accusation. Kakashi was always late, and they were always yelling about it to him. But this Sakura didn't know Kakashi that well and didn't have the courage to out the Jounin.  _ Yet. _

Naruto awkwardly clears his throat and avoids their gazes. He pretends the tree to his side is suddenly the most interesting thing in his life. Such a great tree. Perfect tree. Best tree. Kurama laughs gruffly in the back of his mind.

The sound of bells brings Naruto's attention back to Kakashi. The silver-haired man dangles two familiar bells in front of their faces. "This is set to noon, twelve sharp," he gestures to the alarm that sits on the wooden pole with a jut of his chin. "Today's mission is to take these bells away from me by noon. Those of you who fail don't get lunch and you'll be tied to that pole while I eat in front of you."

"Hn. So that was your point to us not eating breakfast?" Sasuke scowls.

Sakura stealthily hides the brown paper bag that Naruto had brought behind her. When Kakashi turns to her with a raised brow she smiles innocently.

"Wait," the pink-haired girl frowns, "Why are there only two bells?"

Kakashi smiles at her, mirth shining in his visible eye. "There are only two, so at the very least one of you will have to be tied to the pole. The person or people that are will be disqualified for failing the mission and will return to the academy." He dangles the bells again and they chime as if to mock them.

Sakura tilts her head in confusion. "But Sensei-" she starts and then gets cut off by Sasuke who grabs her arm to stop her from speaking further. He shakes his head at her and she hesitantly nods her head back at him.

"It might just be one of you, or it could be all three," Kakashi explains. "You won't be able to take these bells unless you come at me with the intent to kill."

Sasuke smirks, Sakura hunches her shoulders with a determined look and Naruto-

Naruto yawns.

Kakashi flickers his gaze to the blonde. He eyes him and then smiles. "It might be you, Naruto," He says. "Mhhhhm," Naruto hums, clearly not interested. The blonde stands to his feet, arms stretching above his head as he pops his back. Sakura cringes at the sound of bones cracking.

"You will begin when I give the signal. Ready?" Kakashi questions with another eye-smile. His three students look at him differently. Bored. Determined. Hesitant but ready. "Start!"

The three dart away quickly, into the bushes and into the trees trying to hide their presence. Kakashi stays in the open, gazing around his surroundings.  _ Good. _ They were mostly well hidden.

Naruto draws in a deep breath and sets off to where he can smell Sakura -  _ honey, pine, saltwater in the ocean waves  _ \- and as he spots her, he sees Sasuke is already with her. Naruto's eyebrows rise and disappear into his blonde hair. Woah. They had actually listened. That was surprising.

That solved at least one of his problems. Well, an ongoing problem. Their teamwork would still undoubtedly be terrible.

\----

"When the  _ fuck _ did you learn that?" Sakura heaves out, breath uneven, body sprawled against the ground, bruises evident across her pale skin, pink brows furrowed, green eyes pointedly staring at Naruto as she clenches the two bells in her hand as if she's afraid they might just disappear.

Sasuke stares at her, mouth slightly open wide in surprise at the girl's foul language. There's a scorch mark across his cheek, his knuckles are red and his breath is coming in short, ragged puffs of air. He shifts to sit with his legs stretched out beside the female.

Sakura flushes pink in embarrassment.

Naruto breathes out a laugh, breath hitching in his throat awkwardly. HIs jacket is in his lap, his Hitai-ate is hanging loosely around his neck and the scratches he's gained throughout his fight have already healed. He grins at Sakura and Sasuke, it's not a bright grin, it's lopsided and broken, but he's grinning. "I...I stole a forbidden scroll," He says, running a hand through his blonde hair.

Sasuke's lips twitch into a smirk. Sakura laughs so hard until there are tears gathering at the corners of her eyes and she's forcing herself to sit up because if she doesn't she just might choke.

"You...You stole a forbidden scroll. Of course, you did," She wheezes out.

Kakashi sighs deeply and dramatically from above them. His left sleeve is all torn apart, there's a slight tear in his mask, and the whole of his right side is scorched from fire. Naruto had molded his chakra and forced it out until it caused a giant disturbance of wind that made Sasuke's fire even bigger than it originally was. Naruto had thrown in a hurdle of shadow clones, Sakura had mixed into the sea of orange and somehow,  _ somehow _ they had caught Kakashi off guard and while Sasuke jumped to kick him in the face and Naruto swept at his feet, Sakura grabbed at his bells and darted away.

And that's how they ended up here.

"Say...Kakashi-Sensei," Sakura grins wide and proud, "Does this mean we all pass?" she teases as she jingles the bells in front of her.

Kakashi's eye twitches.

\----

Night comes quickly to Konohagakure.

The sun hovers briefly on the horizon, then dips below. At once, the clouds roll in - first red, then mauve, silver, pink, purple, a deep blue, and then black, as though all the colors in the world were being sucked into a vast melting pot. Naruto walks home with Sasuke and Sakura in silence.

Sakura holds her hands behind her back as she walks, green eyes staring ahead of her, a soft smile on her lips. She seems content. Sasuke walks with his hands in the pockets of his white shorts, onyx eyes flickering around them every now and then. He rubs a hand over his scorched cheek every few minutes. Naruto walks slightly behind them, hands stuffed into his orange jacket's hoodie and blue eyes watching the clouds across the dark sky.

"Hey, Naruto?" Sakura whispers quietly into the night. Sasuke tilts his head. Naruto drops his gaze to the back of Sakura's pink head. He hums at her to indicate that he's listening. "Thanks," is all she says.

They walk in silence for a few more minutes before Sakura waves them goodnight and separates away from them. Naruto and Sasuke move a few more blocks down, they pass the lake, the vendor streets and then Naruto turns to go down into the slums. "See you tomorrow," Naruto waves a hand as he turns away.

Sasuke stays quiet but watches him retreat into the slums with an expressionless face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked this chapter, please leave a kudo and subscribe so you get notified when I drop another chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, Nellz here. This chapter and the next one were written by theygone. The only things I change in these chapters is mild grammar or spelling issues. I might also break up really long paragraphs to make it easier to read. If you like it, please vote! I hope you enjoy it!

_ "And once the storm is over, you won't remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won't even be sure whether the storm is over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about." -- Haruki Murakami _

**Chapter Four:**

The next few weeks are...Complicated. They're filled with D-rank missions, countless attempts at catching Tora, avoiding Kakashi's curious gaze, weeding out gardens, helping civilians with daily tasks, Sasuke calls Sakura useless, Sakura cries, Kakashi does a terrible job of handling the situation, they catch Tora, weed out some more gardens, Sakura cuts her palms over some strange plant and Naruto gently wraps her hands in bandages and tells her to be more careful. She nods, brows furrowed and lip sucked in behind her teeth. They catch Tora again, weed out some more gardens, help some civilians with fishing, set up traps for mice in an old house, catch Tora, weed out gardens, help civilians. An endless, tiring repeat of actions.

Sasuke's snide comments to Sakura gradually increase.

Sakura doesn't cry, but the sadness and anger are plain as day in her leaf green eyes. She spends her days ignoring Sasuke and concentrating on her tasks. Sweat across her forehead, lips in a thin line, eyes hard, pale cheeks pink, hands raw from weeding out gardens.

Naruto doesn't sleep. Barely eats. He henges himself over and over again. Kurama tries to teach him how to tie a henge to an object, Naruto barely manages and when he does, the seal overpowers the bracelet and snaps. He spends the next few days with his skin prickling with frustration, anxiety bubbling in his stomach and head crawling with haunting memories of his friend's deaths.

Shikamaru visits him when he closes his eyes ( _ sleep so close and yet so far away _ ) hole in his chest, weak smile so, so,  _ so _ pale. Hair down, blood-stained body -  _ "I'm sorry Naruto."  _ Naruto cries himself to sleep.

Kakashi tells them they have terrible teamwork. He calls them  _ dysfunctional. _ He smiles and says it's ok.

A week later, back at training ground four, Sakura finally snaps and punches Sasuke. She breaks his nose.

Naruto laughs so hard his stomach hurts and tears gather at the corners of his blue eyes. It's the most  _ realistic _ he's felt in  _ forever. _ His laughter isn't forced, his smile isn't too big and obviously fake, it's  _ real. _

"I hate you!" Sakura yells, knuckles bruised red, green eyes narrowed, fist held high, lips curled into a scowl. She looks like  _ Naruto's Sakura _ and Naruto feels pride swell deep in his chest.

Sasuke's onyx eyes are wide, nose bleeding, hand covering his nose, half sprawled on the ground, half standing. He's in shock. His body screams  _ fight _ , his face screams  _ stay down. _

Kakashi looks caught off guard too, one eye wide, hand outreached hesitantly as if he's not entirely sure what he's supposed to do. Silver hair shining in the light of the sun.

And then Sakura starts crying. Fists over her eyes, bawling and sniffling. Half-formed words and hiccups. It's ugly. But she's finally being true to herself.

Naruto can't help but softly smile, he stands to his feet and gently rubs the girl's back and whispers quiet words to her. _"It's okay" - "That was one hell of a punch Sakura" - "He deserved it anyways" -_ He shrugs off his orange jacket and pulls it around her shoulders. She's still crying, still sniffling, and still forming half-words that don't make any sense. Naruto steers her towards Kakashi and gives the silver-haired man a pointed stare. Kakashi looks so lost and hopeless that it's almost funny. Naruto leaves the man with Sakura, grabs Sasuke by the arm, and leads the Uchiha off into the forest.

Kakashi  _ was _ right. They were dysfunctional. But they were learning and that was okay.

\----

One day, after they've all collapsed at training ground four, all of them tired and heaving out short puffs of air after catching Tora, arms layered up in scratches, sweat covering their bodies - Naruto is finally done with all their bullshit.

He forces himself to sit up, his back pops in protest and his knees feel like they might just snap. Tora sure was quick when the cat was running from tree to tree. The little shit. Kakashi stood above them, the orange book held in front of his face, his expression between bored and disinterested. Naruto places his chin into the palm of his hand and sighs over exaggeratedly. Sakura twitches from beside him and Sasuke tilts his head.  _ Good.  _ He's gained their attention.

"Say..." Naruto trails off, tipping his head back and gazing at the sky above him. He watches the fluffy white clouds glide against the blue sky for a few odd seconds and then turns his gaze to Kakashi. "Why aren't you teaching us the cool stuff? Yanno, like tree walking and stuff? I saw a Genin team doing it a few days ago," Naruto lies. He hates lying. But he really needs Kakashi to kick it into gear and train them. Otherwise, they're going to die again.

"What? That's unfair!" Sakura exclaims as she jumps to her feet. She points an accusing finger at Kakashi. "You  _ have _ to teach us that Sensei! I can't let Ino-pig get ahead of me!"

Sasuke shifts until he's sitting more comfortably. "How is it that other teams are ahead of us?" He mutters lowly.

Kakashi blinks down at them. He stares at them collectively and then smiles. He pockets his orange book and sits down in front of them. Sakura plops down beside Naruto again and the blond-haired male forces himself not to flinch.

He's getting better at that. He thinks. But Sakura still sends him an apologetic look and scoots a bit further away from him.  _ She knows - Monster.  _ Naruto shakes his head to clear his thoughts before he can get assaulted by images from the war.

Kakashi sighs, placing his hands over his knees and cracks his neck. Sakura outwardly cringes at that. "The tree climbing practice is a training method used to gain more skills with chakra control," Kakashi explains, one eye flicking from Sasuke to Sakura and then to Naruto. Sakura leans in closer in anticipation and Sasuke tilts his head in a way that tells the Jounin that he's listening. Naruto pulls his knees up to his chest and wraps his arms around his legs, face nuzzled into his knees and blue eyes trained on the silver-haired man. "This Jutsu involves focusing a fixed amount of chakra to the bottom of your feet, and using that to climb a tree without using your hands."

Sakura cocks her head to the side, one eye squinting more than the other.

Kakashi huffs a small laugh. "If the stream of chakra is too weak, the user will lose their footing on the tree and fall off. If it's too strong, the user will be pushed away from the tree, causing the tree to break around the point of contact and the user will fall." He summarizes. "Here," Kakashi murmurs as he stands to his feet, "Watch me."

He walks to the closest tree, presses a sandal-clad foot onto the dark bark, and then slowly starts walking up the tree. Sakura's mouth falls open into an  _ 'o'  _ and even Sasuke is watching with something flickering in his onyx eyes. Naruto smiles into his knees. When Kakashi reaches the first sturdy branch, he walks onto it. "Do you understand?" He asks.

Sakura holds her shin between her forefinger and thumb and makes a humming sound, she then shakes her head indicating no. Sasuke's fingers twitch beside his thighs. He just wants to get along with it. Jumping down from the branch, Kakashi points them all to different trees. "Use a Kunai to mark how far you get up if you feel like you're going to slip and fall."

The silver-haired man then grabs his orange book from one of his pockets, takes a seat below a tree, and starts reading.

The three teens stand to their feet. Naruto stretches his arms out, Sasuke pulls out a Kunai and Sakura walks up to her tree, presses a foot against it, concentrates her chakra into the sole of her foot, and then presses herself upward. She channels the chakra from one foot to another and she's walking up the side of the tree before she even knows it.

Naruto and Sasuke stare up after her as she reaches the top part of the tree and then takes a seat on a branch, grin wide and legs swinging. She sticks out her tongue childishly down at them, pink hair flowing gently behind her.

Sasuke scowls and sets off towards his own tree. He gets a few steps up the bark, feels himself slip, and slashes the Kunai against the tree before he falls. He does it a few more times. Naruto watches him for a full minute before he shrugs his shoulders and walks up the side of the tree just as easily as Sakura had mere moments ago.

Sasuke would have to struggle with this one on his own. Maybe he'd even learn to do it quicker than before since both Sakura and himself had gotten it down so easily.

The pissed off look across Sasuke's features answers everything.

\----

The blue sky turns orange, swirls into pink, Sakura leaves to go home, apparently tired from watching Sasuke fail and fail all over again, the pink mixes into a deep purple, and then the sky turns black. Stars scatter themselves against the dark canvas and a few clouds accompany them. The moon shines brightly off in the distance illuminating the open space of training ground four.

Sasuke is heaving in front of a tree, dark hair matted across his forehead, pale fingers clenching the material of his shorts and onyx eyes narrowed. The tree in front of him is slashed up in awkward angles. Sasuke still can't climb a tree.

Naruto sat in the middle of the grounds, knees pressed up against his chest, hands wrapped around his legs, face pressed into his knees, and blue eyes wide with awareness. His eyes are trained heavily on Sasuke, ears twitching and breath low and steady.

Kakashi is still underneath his tree, the orange book nowhere in sight, one eye half-opened as he watches his two students. With a quiet sigh, he stands to his feet, stretches out, and slowly walks towards Naruto. The blonde boy seems entirely focused on Sasuke, shoulders hunched so far in that they're touching his cheeks.

Naruto suddenly tenses, the hairs on the back of his neck and arms standing to attention. Something weird flips in his stomach and then there are fingers cradling through his hair and Naruto flinches  _ so _ hard, his blue eyes wide with fear-

Kakashi pets him, slowly and gently. He doesn't pull his hand away even when Naruto sits painfully still. And when Kakashi does pull his hand away, Naruto darts away and is quickly,  _ too quickly, _ on his feet. He mumbles something incoherent, his gaze not meeting Kakashi's and then he's running off without another word. Kakashi stares after the blonde with a concealed expression.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, Nellz here. This chapter is the last one written by theygone. The only things I change in these chapters is mild grammar or spelling issues. I might also break up really long paragraphs to make it easier to read. If you like it, please vote! The chapters after this one are all mine.

_"Oh, monsters are scared," said Lettie. "That's why they're monsters." -- Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane_

**Chapter Five:**

"Do you have any hobbies _besides_ porn?" Sakura asks, annoyed as Kakashi talks to them over top of his ever so precious Icha Icha. The female leans her chin into the palm of her hands effectively smearing dirt across her pale cheeks.

Kakashi smiles. "I have some hobbies," he drawls in a tone that he knows pisses off _his_ Genin team.

"Like what?" Naruto mumbles into his knees. "Playing mind games with us?"

After they had all managed to finish the tree-climbing exercise, Kakashi had thrown them into a lake the very next day. _"Be cute little Gaki and get this over and done with!"_ And after they finished that, Kakashi had made them sit down and talk. Like actual, _normal_ , human beings. They were doing this after every mission.

They were even doing it right now.

Kakashi was calling it _Team Bonding_. Sasuke was calling it _A Waste of Time_.

Sasuke gives Kakashi a flat, unblinking stare. Kakashi matches it with his own.

"I rescue cute puppies," Kakashi says after a minute of silence. The sun is high up in the sky and there's barely a cloud formed over the endless vast of blue. The sun shines onto his silver hair. It wasn't a lie, but Sakura and Sasuke look at him with flat looks like they don't trust him at all. Naruto, on the other hand, gazes at him almost fondly. "I also have an eternal rival who always forces me into weird challenges. He wears green spandex and has a bowl cut."

"That's it," Sakura says, "I call bullshit."

"Neither of those sounds like the truth," Sasuke points out, scowling.

Kakashi smiles under his mask. _If only they knew._

"Well, maybe the puppies," Naruto mumbles into his knees. "I mean, Kakashi-sensei can't be _that_ heartless."

Kakashi places a hand above his beating heart. He _definitely_ has one. "Maa, I can't believe you don't trust me," He acts wounded.

Sakura rolls her green eyes. "Sensei, you _threw_ us into a lake, you're _always_ late, your excuses keep getting _lamer_ and you never teach us anything _good_. I can only wonder _why_ we don't trust you."

Naruto snorts and shifts into a different sitting position. He crosses his legs over each other and hugs his arms around his stomach. After punching Sasuke and breaking his nose, Sakura was quick to call Kakashi out on his bullshit. Naruto was so proud of her.

Now, if only Sasuke would stop being such an emo duck butt and Kakashi didn't have the guilt-complex the size of the whole fire nation.

Things would be so much easier if they just didn't.

\----

"No," Naruto says flat-out, voice and face bare of any emotion. His blue eyes are trained just to the side of the third Hokage's face. It looks like he's looking at him, but he's not. It's too much. The old office, too many papers, smoke pipe, some alcohol, the stench of too many scents all gathered into one tiny room over the years. Jiji's death, Orochimaru's cold snake eyes, Kabuto, blood, _so much blood -_ It's too _goddamn_ much. His head feels hazy, his nose is burning, his fingernails are digging into the soft flesh of his palms and drawing blood.

Kakashi shifts beside him, head tilting, nose twitching - he can probably smell the blood.

"Naruto!" Iruka exclaims, scandalized. "Do you even know who you're talking to?" He scolds.

"Jiji obviously," Naruto says in the same tone as before. On the outside, he's fine, on the inside, he's scratching at his walls and crying, _shouting_ , trying to _get out._ He feels uncomfortable even in his own skin. _Monster. Monster. Monster. You killed all the people in this room. Monster. Monster. Monster-_

Sakura stomps her foot onto the wooden floor, effectively pulling Naruto out of his dark thoughts. She furrows her thin, pink brows and Naruto turns to her, blue eyes blinking slowly. "Naruto's right!" She exclaims. "I'm tired of doing stupid D-rank missions! If I have to babysit another snotty-nosed brat or weed out some old woman's garden, my mind's going to explode!" She threw her arms into the air, clearly frustrated.

Sasuke slowly steps away from her, obviously from fear of getting punched. He plays it off by changing his stance and tilting his head at an awkward angle. Kakashi snorts and covers it quickly with a cough. Iruka stares at the silver-haired man with a deadpan stare. Kakashi only smiles back.

"Give us something worthwhile," Naruto mutters low, turning his gaze to look outside the window. He doesn't feel like playing everyone's lovable knucklehead ninja today. He's tired. He's _so_ tired. He just wants to _sleep._ But he can't even do that. Not unless he wants to be haunted by violent memories. So he's stuck here, playing his role, going through the motions and he's trying _so, so, so hard._ Damn it. His blue eyes glaze over and water and Naruto blinks rapidly to stop himself from crying.

Someone's hand settles onto his shoulder and Naruto tenses. He _doesn't_ flinch, he _doesn't_ , the tiny jump of his shoulders _isn't_ a flinch. He refuses to acknowledge it. Naruto turns his head just the slightest to see that it's Kakashi's hand, settled there on his shoulder. A steady, familiar, and yet so foreign weight. Something flips in his stomach and a shiver runs up his spine. Naruto instantly crawls back behind his mask. His lips split into a painful grin until his eyes closed. He doesn't want to _see_ anyways.

"Give us something worthwhile, Jiji!" Naruto yells, throwing a fist into the air and effectively knocking Kakashi's hand off his shoulder in the process. Sakura furiously nods her head from beside him and even Sasuke looks expectantly at the third Hokage.

The old man blows smoke out of his pipe and sighs loudly. "Alright," he says. "You want something worthwhile you can have it." Old eyes flicker across team seven. "I've got just the mission for you. It's a C-rank. You'll be escorting a bridge-builder back to Wave Country."

Sakura throws her arms into the air again. "Yatta!" She grins widely. Sasuke smirks from beside her and Naruto eases himself into what looks like a pleasing smile.

Sarutobi calls in the escort and Tazuna walks in, half drunk and half-aware. Eyes dazed, the stench of booze across his whole skin. He smells _so bad_ , Naruto actually takes a step back and bumps into Kakashi, nose twitching and burning even more. He doesn't even flinch when he makes contact with Kakashi. He's too busy trying to cover his nose to get over the smell. Sakura looks at him weirdly when Kakashi steadies him and Naruto only then jumps away from him, skin pricking with heat. He plays it off with a playful laugh, hand rubbing the back of his neck.

She doesn't look convinced.

\----

Naruto yawns loudly and rubs his knuckles onto his eyes. He runs a hand through his blonde hair and adjusts his Hitai-ate before he settles his gaze onto the gates. He looks beyond them towards the trees and the mountains far off in the distance. Tazuna is resting his back against the gates, surprisingly somewhat sober. He doesn't smell any better than yesterday and Naruto's nose twitches.

Sakura arrives a little later and throws her backpack onto the ground beside Naruto's. She greets him with a smile and a quiet, _"Good morning,"_ as the wind ruffles her pink hair.

Naruto nods at her in place of a greeting. He turns his gaze back to the gates and keeps it there even when Sakura stares at him with weird sad eyes. _His_ Sakura used to look at him like that too. She used to give him that look whenever she found out something about him, like his living arrangements and his awkward and awful eating habits. He remembers the way she would rest her cheek against his shoulder and tell him that everything was okay. Naruto would tell her he wanted to be somewhere, far, far away - so Konoha would be a town without him. A town without a _monster_. Sakura would sit with him in silence for hours until the blue of the sky changed through so many colors and turned black. He misses her. He misses her _a lot_.

Sasuke shows up a few minutes later, he mumbles something in greeting, throws his backpack beside the others, and falls to the ground with a tired sigh. He leans his chin into the palm of his hand and closes his onyx eyes. Sakura chuckles into her hand.

Kakashi, of course, ends up showing a few hours later - just before noon.

"You're late!" Sakura yells, one eyebrow twitching, and lips dropped into a fierce scowl. She jabs a finger behind her, "In fact, you're _so_ late that Sasuke took a _fucking_ nap!"

Tazuna stares at Sakura with a slack jaw, wide eyes open in shock at the girl's foul language. Sakura ignores him and jabs her index finger into Kakashi's chest who chuckles finding the situation funny. "It's _not_ funny," Sakura stresses and jabs her finger into his chest again. Each time Sakura called out Kakashi on his bullshit, Naruto felt pride swell deep in his chest. He was glad that Kakashi managed to calm her down back when she was crying over the fact that she had broken Sasuke's nose. He must have told her something important for her to throw her mild and meek self to the side and to pull out her _'I'm angry and will punch you if I need to'_ self.

"Maa, Sakura," Kakashi smiles. "I had to help an old woman with her groceries."

"Your excuses are getting _lame_ ," Naruto says, rolling his blue eyes, lips twitching into a half-smile.

Sasuke grunts as he stands to his feet. "Let's get moving," He grumbles, shrugging on his backpack.

"Yes, _Sasuke-Sensei_ ," Naruto chirps, voice higher than it should be. Sasuke rolls his eyes so far back Naruto worries he might need an exorcism to get them back down. "Come on, dobe," He says.

Sakura laughs at them, grabs her backpack, and motions for Tazuna to follow. Sasuke walks at the front, Tazuna walks behind him, Sakura walks beside the man even if she looks like she'd rather be anywhere else, and Naruto walks just behind and to the side of him. Kakashi strolls behind the blonde, hands lazily shoved into the pockets of his dark pants.

They wave at the guards just before they leave.

\----

Watching his Genin intently from behind his Icha Icha book, Kakashi notices many things.

First, Sasuke is antisocial - awkward at best. He grunts and grits his teeth at questions and turns his head to the side to avoid conversations. Sakura tries to pull him into her conversation with Tazuna, but Sasuke just walks ahead a little bit faster.

Second, Sakura is very good at keeping Tazuna distracted. At first, the man was tense, even when he was walking, sweat across his brows, a bottle of sake already in his hand, and eyes dancing across them wildly. Sakura kept him talking, she clicked her fingers, clapped her hands, laughed, and pointed out things. Asked millions of questions. Even the obvious ones, all to get Tazuna to calm down.

Third, Tazuna is hiding something. That much is obvious. He drinks too much, rambles, and he keeps on glancing back towards Kakashi as if to reassure himself.

And finally, Naruto. He was quiet, mumbled a few words here and there, he grinned, but the edges didn't reach his eyes. When Sakura turned around to add him into the conversation, he exclaimed out words, forcing himself to be animated. He stayed a few steps behind Tazuna but was still close enough to be beside him.

Kakashi eyes the back of the blonde's head with curious eyes.

Sasuke may have not noticed, probably too emotionally stunted - but Sakura had definitely caught onto Naruto and the weird things he did. _Avoiding touch, flinching at near contact, covering his nose when someone got too close as if his nose was being clouded by strong scents-_ Kakashi had caught on pretty easily as well. At first, he had thought nothing about it, but as the weeks went by and Naruto kept slipping up from his mask, Kakashi was sure there was something amiss. Something was terribly wrong. And the blonde didn't trust him enough to tell him. It frustrated Kakashi because he wanted to _help_ , he did, he just didn't know _how_ to help. He would have to wait it out until Naruto trusted him enough to tell him.

Naruto laughs at something Tazuna says, the sound of it doesn't sound quite right - it doesn't sound real like Sakura's small chuckle, Naruto's laugh sounds too _out there_. Like the motion of it is something foreign to him. Like he's imitating someone else.

Kakashi reaches out a hand to ruffle the blonde's hair, his fingers graze soft locks, and Naruto ducks away from his hand and then runs to the front towards Sasuke. He mumbles something to the Uchiha and the two quietly squabble.

_"Dobe."_

_"Teme."_

Sakura sighs dramatically. "That's unfair," she pouts, "You two have affectionate terms for each other and I don't even get a nickname."

Sasuke flushes embarrassingly and walks stiffly ahead of them.

Naruto merely shakes his head and falls back into his original walking space.

Kakashi raises his orange book higher, smiling underneath his mask.


	6. A/N -Will Be Deleted In Future

Hey guys, I wanted to say something. I will be posting this to all my active stories on A03 and on my draft.

So I am going to be taking an indefinite break from writing. As much as I love writing, the stress is too much to handle right now. I _will_ be deleting every A/N saying this right before I start posting again.

I'm sorry guys but it's really hard for me right now and I need to focus on my body.


End file.
